It's a great piece of artwork, I'm just not entirely sure it's worth considering as a replacement for the Stanley Cup champs' current symbol. That aside, he's got a pretty nice secondary as well.

The last logo I have to share with you is from a different designer. Have a look.

Two more days until ICETHETICS launches. Get excited!

]]>ToHL Up And Running AgainChris SmithSun, 29 Jun 2008 12:49:00 +0000http://www.icethetics.co/nhltol/2008/6/29/tohl-up-and-running-again.html5007b2ea84aef6ab9cd08134:52de0025e4b070298718a5ff:52de0028e4b070298718d67aAfter a brief period of a down time, ToHL is up and running again with the latest poll in the QMJHL Tournament of Logos. GO VOTE!

And in case you're wondering, the final poll of the tournament will take place at ICETHETICS (which launches July 1). Then the CHL Tournament of Champions — which will feature the winner from each of the three CHL leagues — will take place there as well. I'll also be introducing a brand new tournament to begin after that is complete. It's something I've been talking about for quite some time.

]]>Colorado Concept LogosChris SmithSun, 29 Jun 2008 01:55:00 +0000http://www.icethetics.co/nhltol/2008/6/29/colorado-concept-logos.html5007b2ea84aef6ab9cd08134:52de0025e4b070298718a5ff:52de0028e4b070298718d485Recently I noticed in the comments of various posts, some of you pointing out that among others, the Avalanche may indeed have the perfect logo. That is, there's no way to improve upon it. Some even went so far as to challenge anyone to make one that's better. And a few people responded.

This is the best of what I received but even it doesn't come close to the Avs' current logo. A valiant effort to be sure, but certainly no replacement.

There were a couple of others, not as great, but worth a look.

And then this one which borrows a major element of the actual Colorado logo.

That does it for tonight. I'll have a look at some Detroit Red Wings concept logos tomorrow.

]]>Just To Freak You Out XXXVIIIChris SmithFri, 27 Jun 2008 21:43:00 +0000http://www.icethetics.co/nhltol/2008/6/27/just-to-freak-you-out-xxxviii.html5007b2ea84aef6ab9cd08134:52de0025e4b070298718a5ff:52de0028e4b070298718d51cThe absurdity continues here in my little corner of the world. First thing's first. We all have to be able to laugh at ourselves every now and then and god knows I make a habit of it. But this whole "rebranding" thing — it's a little weird, right? I mean it takes a special kind of person to keep an entire blog dedicated to the redesigning of NHL logos by various artistically inclined hockey fans.

I got a graphic emailed in this week that really made me laugh and I have to lead off with it.

Let the petty sniping begin (we all know that's what the comments are for anyway). I think it's absolutely hilarious. And when it comes to well-designed artwork, I get inspired regardless of whether I think a team should actually wear it in real life. That's what art is for anyway, isn't it?

But this post is about freaking you out, so you won't find any detailed and well-thought-out designs here. Instead, imagine the Quebec Nordiques going out west to become the Denver Dekes.

I don't have the words for it. Nor this.

I need a prescription for a drug that will allow me to fly. What's that? You say they don't make one? Hmm...

Forgive the poor quality of the jerseys in the next image, but these are worth looking at.

Be sure not to miss the purple and orange Flyers jerseys.

And lastly, an article on Yahoo! was pointed out to me today. The writer talks about the horror that was the Mighty Ducks third jersey back in the mid-'90s. (You guys should know, you voted it worst third jersey logo EVER!)

Anyway, that got me thinking. A while back I got these logos from a reader. He took the duck bursting through the ice and painted a different team's logo and jersey onto it — and then did it again for every team in the NHL! It's an absolute riot and this is the perfect time to start posting them.

As you can see I started with the Pacific Division so that I could show you the crazy duck with the new Ducks logo and colors on it. Just wait until you see the rest of the league. I'll post a new division in each Freak Out Friday post until we get through all six.

]]>Wallpaper Wednesday IIIChris SmithWed, 25 Jun 2008 21:38:00 +0000http://www.icethetics.co/nhltol/2008/6/25/wallpaper-wednesday-iii.html5007b2ea84aef6ab9cd08134:52de0025e4b070298718a5ff:52de0028e4b070298718d6a7It's Wednesday and that means I have wallpapers for you. You guys have been sending in some great stuff, so pick something new to grace your desktop this week.

First, Roberto Luongo's mask won the NHL Tournament of Goalie Masks so one reader designed a wallpaper with that in mind along with the blog's new name.

Plus, for all you Canucks fans, a couple of logo wallpaper options here.

And our friend SnyperP who's been fulfilling some requests has these to share.

That Islanders background is nice, but so are the Leafs and Sharks.

And finally, for Ducks fans, I've got a couple of excellent wallpapers to share.

Giguere looks great (from LightItUp4126 at allducksgraphics.com), but I like the color scheme here for Schneider (from Dark Knight at allducksgraphics.com).

So if I were a Ducks fan, it'd be a toss-up as to which one I went with. Hope you guys enjoyed those. I'll have more next week. And if you've designed any you'd like to share, email them to me at nhllogos@gmail.com.

]]>Reworking NHL UniformsChris SmithTue, 24 Jun 2008 22:09:00 +0000http://www.icethetics.co/nhltol/2008/6/24/reworking-nhl-uniforms.html5007b2ea84aef6ab9cd08134:52de0025e4b070298718a5ff:52de0028e4b070298718d652There's another new artist I've received several submissions from but he's not looking to redesign team logos league-wide — just the uniforms. His sets include a home, road and alternate jersey for every club. On Sunday I posted his Ducks set (it's the first one in the post). But he's been working his way through the NHL alphabetically and I have a few more to share with you today.

We'll begin with the Thrashers.

I have yet to see a design from him that I don't like. And that streak continues with the Bruins.

If you scroll down to the bottom of the post you'll see a bonus alternate sweater design. But first, the Sabres.

A very unique set here mixing old with new in terms of logo design — a rare example of the designer going with a completely new logo. The Flames are next.

In this design he reintroduces the horse head secondary logo (which I always liked) while keeping the jerseys mostly unchanged except for the striping patterns.

And finally, here's a look at that bonus Bruins alternate design.

It's basically a black version of the yellow one above.

I'm enjoying very much being able to post some outstanding work lately from some very talented artists. I look forward to being able to share more with you as ICETHETICS launches in just one week.

]]>Melrose Taking Bolts' Reigns?Chris SmithTue, 24 Jun 2008 20:47:00 +0000http://www.icethetics.co/nhltol/2008/6/24/melrose-taking-bolts-reigns.html5007b2ea84aef6ab9cd08134:52de0025e4b070298718a5ff:52de0028e4b070298718d538I apologize, I know this has nothing to do with jerseys or logos, but this is one of those times when I'm writing just because I have a blog and an audience. As a lifelong Tampa Bay Lightning fan I can't help but...

...huh?

Yeah I know it's been rumored for a while now so it's not exactly news but it's official today and I'm — I don't know, I don't have the words. It's just weird.

I'm curious how fans from the rest of the league view Barry Melrose becoming the Bolts' new coach. What do you guys think of this development?

Do you think his years as an ESPN analyst will give him a better perspective on coaching the game? Or is this the setup for the bad joke I think it is? (You know, the punch line being another last place finish.)

]]>Designs For The DesertChris SmithMon, 23 Jun 2008 23:26:00 +0000http://www.icethetics.co/nhltol/2008/6/23/designs-for-the-desert.html5007b2ea84aef6ab9cd08134:52de0025e4b070298718a5ff:52de0028e4b070298718d4a1One of my favorite new designers submitting artwork has sent in a lot of great concept logos for teams including the Devils, Predators, Senators and most recently, the Flyers. Up next, he's taking a shot at the Phoenix Coyotes.

And it seems to me his work just keeps getting better with every design.

I've read that some of you are comparing his logo designs to Matt's work and I'm not sure I can argue with you there. These two concept logos are top notch — definitely worthy of any professional sports club.

That's all I've got for today, but what we lack in quantity here I believe is made up for in quality. Let me know what you think of these in the comments.

]]>Anaheim Sweater ConceptsChris SmithSun, 22 Jun 2008 22:45:00 +0000http://www.icethetics.co/nhltol/2008/6/22/anaheim-sweater-concepts.html5007b2ea84aef6ab9cd08134:52de0025e4b070298718a5ff:52de0028e4b070298718d459Today I've got a number of sweater designs sent in by readers to share with you — specifically for the Anaheim Ducks. Interestingly, none of them features a redesigned logo or color scheme. So have a look.

This first set is all about unique striping patterns and I'm a fan — especially the orange one.

The next one is simpler with a little less originality than what we just saw but I'm sure traditionalists would love it.

And this one is another example of why the Ducks would look good in orange — except you obviously can't have gold numbers on the back of it.

The next two are sort of an upgrade to the current uniforms.

I definitely think the wordmark needs to get off of the chest.

And these two are just examples of gold jerseys — probably not the best of ideas.

Lastly we have a black jersey with some simple striping and the team name down the right arm.

Some of these are pretty bad but it could be worse. They could keep wearing what they have now.

]]>Fan Art Fit For KingsChris SmithSat, 21 Jun 2008 18:41:00 +0000http://www.icethetics.co/nhltol/2008/6/21/fan-art-fit-for-kings.html5007b2ea84aef6ab9cd08134:52de0025e4b070298718a5ff:52de0028e4b070298718d4f1I know in Thursday's post I promised some L.A. Kings concept art for yesterday but that's what I get for promising things. But I just crashed in the afternoon. I must've slept 14 hours yesterday. Anyway, I've got it for you now.

A couple of great artists have recently started submitting new concept artwork to me to post here. You saw one example yesterday with the Flyers. On top of that, I mentioned his work on the Devils and Predators while completely forgetting about his Senators design.

But in that same post was an amazing concept for the New York Rangers. Well that artist has now come up with a beautiful rebrand for the Los Angeles Kings.

The gold offsets the purple perfectly and the silver doesn't hurt either. And the logos look great on the jerseys.

I love being able to post work from truly talented artists and look forward to continuing that. However that doesn't mean I won't also post the simpler designs, such as this one — which takes a page from the past.

And yes that alternate jersey is a recolored Ducks sweater. Wow.

Keep the fan art coming!

]]>Philly Concept LogosChris SmithThu, 19 Jun 2008 21:48:00 +0000http://www.icethetics.co/nhltol/2008/6/19/philly-concept-logos.html5007b2ea84aef6ab9cd08134:52de0025e4b070298718a5ff:52de0028e4b070298718d58dYou've seen concept logos for the Devils and Predators from this artist and now he's moved on to the Philadelphia Flyers for his latest design.

Here are the secondary logos he came up with.

Even if they aren't entirely feasible as NHL logos, they're still very sharp and nice to look at. It's got the best Liberty Bell logo I've ever seen too. Anyway, what do you guys think?

By the way, I've got some great Los Angeles Kings concept art to post tomorrow. I think you'll enjoy it too.

]]>Wallpaper Wednesday IIChris SmithWed, 18 Jun 2008 17:19:00 +0000http://www.icethetics.co/nhltol/2008/6/18/wallpaper-wednesday-ii.html5007b2ea84aef6ab9cd08134:52de0025e4b070298718a5ff:52de0028e4b070298718d69dThis week brings the second edition of Wallpaper Wednesday and this one is focusing on player-centric designs. We'll start with Alexander Ovechkin.

And we have lots of goalies too — like Marc-Andre Fleury...

...along with Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Gerber.

And I thought this was cool — this year's complete playoff bracket.

Speaking of the Stanley Cup champion Red Wings, check this out.

And this, also designed by SnyperP.

He's actually gone and fulfilled several requests but unfortunately I don't have room for all of them here. I'm putting together a gallery that will be available soon. In the meantime, here are a couple more.

And I chose those two to post because they were voted best secondary and third jersey logos by you guys in earlier logo tournaments.

So keep sending in your desktop wallpaper art. You never know, it may one day appear right here on a Wallpaper Wednesday.

]]>New Looks For The Whole LeagueChris SmithTue, 17 Jun 2008 21:55:00 +0000http://www.icethetics.co/nhltol/2008/6/17/new-looks-for-the-whole-league.html5007b2ea84aef6ab9cd08134:52de0025e4b070298718a5ff:52de0028e4b070298718d54cI've opted to be lazy today. I have concept art but it's all in one graphic. One reader has redesigned the uniforms and logos of every single team in the NHL. Some of them are great... but some of them are terrible. I'll leave it up to you to decide what's what.

Comment away! Another edition of Wallpaper Wednesday comes tomorrow.

]]>Land Of 10,000 ConceptsChris SmithMon, 16 Jun 2008 22:07:00 +0000http://www.icethetics.co/nhltol/2008/6/16/land-of-10000-concepts.html5007b2ea84aef6ab9cd08134:52de0025e4b070298718a5ff:52de0028e4b070298718d52eYeah and I have about that many concepts for the Minnesota Wild tonight. After I posted the news about what their new third jersey will look like, my inbox was inundated with fan created designs. So naturally I have a bunch to share.

The one on the left is an odd combination of Wild and North Stars that doesn't completely suck. Sure, it's weird and you'll never see it on a jersey, but look at that thing. Crazy. Of course on the right is a simple green sweater from Jacob at We're Revolting!

Here's an interesting one.

I think MINN is just weird but then I'm not from there so I don't get to have a say. What do you think of a wheat-colored design?

Here's an odd set, taking a page out of the Dallas Stars' book. Funny how that works.

Still got a few more to share. The one on the left could work as a couple of options for a third jersey or a completely new home and away set.

On the right is a wheat-colored version of the current red home sweater. And we'll finish things off on the same tack, only going the green route instead.

The last one just has a different striping pattern.

My thanks go out to everyone who's been submitting artwork. You guys are the reason I continue to have content for this blog on a daily basis. Keep them coming. I tend to post the best stuff sooner rather than later so really put your heart into it!

Congratulations go out to Roberto Luongo today! Voters here at NHLToL have chosen his mask as the best in the league! The Luongo finished the final poll with a 54% of the nearly 2,000 votes.

Thanks to everyone who voted! This tournament saw the most votes cast ever on the site. I hope the next one will be as popular.

With this tournament over, I'm taking this opportunity to announce that the brand new ICETHETICS will launch on July 1. The big question I've had about this is whether the URL will change. In fact, it will so be prepared to update your bookmarks. ICETHETICS will replace NHLToL and ToHL.

NHLToL and ToHL will both remain online but will no longer be updated as of July 1. All of the concept art, jersey news, logo tournaments, and everything else you've come to expect from NHLToL will be featured on ICETHETICS. NHLToL will simply continue to serve as an archive. For now, I just wanted to make you guys aware that this change is finally coming.

And over the next couple of weeks I'll be detailing the new features you'll find at ICETHETICS, including specialized concept art galleries, an artist partnership program, more new tournaments for you to vote in, and a whole lot more. Get ready!

]]>Possible News About Wild Third Jersey?Chris SmithSat, 14 Jun 2008 12:30:00 +0000http://www.icethetics.co/nhltol/2008/6/14/possible-news-about-wild-third-jersey.html5007b2ea84aef6ab9cd08134:52de0025e4b070298718a5ff:52de0028e4b070298718d5ebI got an email from a reader named Jerry about possible new third jersey designs for the Minnesota Wild. Apparently the team held a fan appreciation day in St. Paul on Thursday and there were staff members walking around doing surveys with fans about new alternate sweaters.

Jerry said they had about six to eight designs to choose from and that they were not allowed to take pictures — probably because of sites like this one. Anyway, I asked him to describe the designs for you guys. Here's what he said.

OK, I'll try my best to remember

Two designs were just text: Minnesota and Minn, each had the North Star symbol for the dot in "i," the colors were green or wheat (single color).

One design had the letter "M" in the same font of the Boston Red Sox's "B" with the Wild colors orbiting the M, the color was red or green (the same for the following).

One was super-stretch "W" with Wild background etch in the "W."

The remaining two were morphing the Wild logo into "M" and "W."

That's what I can think off right now,

hope this can help!

If anyone would like to design concepts based on these descriptions, I'd love to post them. I'd also appreciate if anyone else who might have attended could confirm these descriptions.

And if you've got any tips or possible news on third jerseys, you can email me at nhllogos@gmail.com.

]]>Just To Freak You Out XXXVIIChris SmithSat, 14 Jun 2008 01:26:00 +0000http://www.icethetics.co/nhltol/2008/6/14/just-to-freak-you-out-xxxvii.html5007b2ea84aef6ab9cd08134:52de0025e4b070298718a5ff:52de0028e4b070298718d50cTwo weeks have elapsed since the last Freak Out Friday, so right on time it's here again. And oddly enough, we're starting where we started last time — with the clubs from New York.

I think that needs no explanation. And sticking with NY for a moment, check out this Buffalo Sabres logo concept.

Yeah it takes a minute to really realize what you're seeing. At first you're thinking, "yeah, that classic '70s logo... but wait, something is a little off about it — aside from the buffalo being yellow, that is." Oh that's it! It has a slug head.

And just when you thought the Sabres hadn't been through enough for one Freak Out post, just wait for this.

Perhaps if the Bills played hockey... No, just no. And while we're on the topic of odd jerseys, we have another.

I believe we've seen something of this nature before, but it's still funny to me.

Now we're heading out west for the rest of the post — starting with a very strange Vancouver Canucks concept logo.

The whale is diving into the "C" ... get it? (Say it out loud if you haven't gotten it yet.)

And with the QMJHL logo tournament in full swing over at ToHL, a reader sent me this logo crossing the Rimouski Oceanic with the Phoenix Coyotes.

Finally, on a completely different tack, someone has not only created a brand for a team, they've created a brand new team. I'm told the Florida Panthers should move to Seattle to become the Totems.

Now I'm no fan of the stinkin' Panthers but if this is the only option, I can't say I'd wholeheartedly support it. The design comes complete with jerseys and everything.

So keep your freaky artwork coming so I can keep this series going. Check back in two weeks for the next Freak Out Friday.

Oh, and to anyone out there who doesn't believe in the evil powers of Friday the 13th, consider this: Tim Russert dropped dead in the NBC newsroom today, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake rattled Japan, Iowa is under water and a tornado just tore off a bunch of roofs and wiped out a Wal-Mart down here in my part of Florida.

Yeah, but that Wal-Mart had it coming.

]]>Post Wednesday WallpapersChris SmithFri, 13 Jun 2008 00:12:00 +0000http://www.icethetics.co/nhltol/2008/6/13/post-wednesday-wallpapers.html5007b2ea84aef6ab9cd08134:52de0025e4b070298718a5ff:52de0028e4b070298718d5f6Unfortunately, I don't have time to write up a real post tonight. Instead, I'm going to direct you to someone else's site. This guy's got a lot of cool NHL logo wallpapers you all might be interested in. Click here to check it out. More tomorrow.]]>Eastern IdentitiesChris SmithWed, 11 Jun 2008 23:26:00 +0000http://www.icethetics.co/nhltol/2008/6/11/eastern-identities.html5007b2ea84aef6ab9cd08134:52de0025e4b070298718a5ff:52de0028e4b070298718d4d0Just when you thought things couldn't get better, what with the Wallpaper Wednesdays kicking off today, I have concept logos. And some really great ones too. And since we did the West yesterday, today we're sticking to the East. Dare I say it, some of them even rise to level of Matt's work.

We're starting with the New York Rangers. And before you balk at the notion of rebranding a member of the Original Six, just give it a chance.

If you've been reading this blog a while, you know how much I love the Lady Liberty logo for the Rangers. Here are the uniforms to go with that logo set.

These work exceptionally well and I think that's hard to deny. Now I could go on and on about the quality of this artwork, but I'm more interested in reading what you guys have to say, so comment below.

But first, let's move on to the Ottawa Senators.

It's like a Hulked up version of the new alternate logo. Scary. Very scary.

Got a couple more neat designs before I call it a night, including a secondary logo for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Or who knows, maybe it would even work as a primary. But I'm smart enough to know you guys don't like messing with tradition.

Then this here is just a Philadelphia Flyers logo incorporating the Liberty Bell.

So we begin and end with "liberty" today, apparently. Weird. Totally unintentional. Seriously though, drop us a line. I really want to read what you guys think of these logos, especially the Rangers. (Take a close look at that secondary mark.)

I hope to have more for you tomorrow.

]]>Wallpaper Wednesday IChris SmithWed, 11 Jun 2008 23:01:00 +0000http://www.icethetics.co/nhltol/2008/6/11/wallpaper-wednesday-i.html5007b2ea84aef6ab9cd08134:52de0025e4b070298718a5ff:52de0028e4b070298718d682As I've mentioned, today I'm launching a new series called Wallpaper Wednesday. In the middle of each week, I'll be showcasing some of the best desktop background artwork that's made its way to my inbox. I've already posted a few wallpapers over the last few days and one of the first was a great Bruins design.

It was created by a reader named Patrick, who is continuing a series based on the original. I've already posted the Oilers and today we have a couple of new ones. First, the Sabres.

I'm sure you Sabres fans love that he used your classic emblem. Also, the Flyers.

Now based on the recent poll, we know that the team with the largest percentage fan base visiting NHLToL is the Vancouver Canucks. So naturally, they've got to be included here. And I really like this wallpaper.

It's designed for a widescreen display yet at the same time compatible with standard screens. To those of you submitting wallpapers, I (and many others) would be forever grateful if you could work with this in mind.

This Thrashers wallpaper is also designed for widescreen, except in this case it's not completely compatible with standard monitors because of where the NHL logo is placed in the corner.

Finally, this one is absolutely stellar and while the focus isn't a logo, I can't pass up the chance to post it.

That's all for this week. If you sent something and I haven't posted it yet, don't worry, I'll get to it eventually. Thanks to everyone who has submitted!